Jersey Boys: The Years Gone By

Every musician chases his or her own particular muse. For rappers, it’s verbal dexterity, the gift of flow. For funk/soul purists, it’s the groove. And for the legions of pop-punks out there, it’s hooks. Irresistibly kinetic, irrefutably catchy hooks.

Like every pop-punk band, The Years Gone By focus their songwriting around those powerful chord progressions that define a song. They fill in the gaps with the usual trappings: snotty, call-and-response vocals; wiry and careening guitars; drums and bass driving at breakneck speeds. The strident “Tell Someone Else I Don’t Care” is three minutes of Sturm und Drang, Jersey-style. Guitars scribble across a wash of distortion and crashing cymbals while singer Nickolas Madore leads the fray with a nasally sing-along chorus. “Tear Down the Stars” is a technically precise, if forgettable, ballad that’s perfect for slow-dancing in a suburban high school gym. Look, when you’re a pop-punk band, you gotta keep the teens happy. And in that regard, The Years Gone By pass with flying colors.